


Heavy Raindrops

by RedHoneyBun



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: It's also an AU, Keith is a sad lonely boi, Shiro is Keith's dad in this, i guess you could call it that, klance is a thing but it's not really the main focus, so that's fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 08:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15069518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHoneyBun/pseuds/RedHoneyBun
Summary: On his 18th birthday Keith gets into an argument with his adoptive dad Shiro and spends the day avoiding him before things get kinda sad.This one's for you Remy.





	Heavy Raindrops

**Author's Note:**

> (BTW I've only seen the first season so keep that in mind when you're reading this plz)

The sun shone brightly through the cracks in the window blinds that were no doubt opened by Shiro not too long ago. Keith woke up at 12 in the afternoon and stumbled downstairs to the sweet smell of baking bread still in the oven. Shiro was there washing all the bowls he had dirtied. "Happy birthday Keith." He stopped top flash him a smile before returning his focus on the sink. Keith nodded a silent thanks and poured himself a bowl of cereal. Shiro shut off the water and dried his hands off on a nearby towel before taking a seat across from him. "Keith, we need to talk about something." Keith only raised an eyebrow in response, mouth full of chocolate flavored pieces. "You're 18 now. You're not a kid anymore.” He took a second to collect his thoughts. The speech came off as something he’d been rehearsing since he woke up. “I know we've been in a rough patch lately but I need you to know that I can't weasel you out of things anymore. The next time you pick a fight with a stranger it could mean jail time."

 

This was a fact that Keith already knew, yet chose to ignore. Shiro knew that his warnings were falling on deaf ears and he was running out of ways to make his message stick. "Which is why I've decided to enforce a curfew. As of today I want you home no later than 10." There was some wishful thinking involved in believing that Keith would actually pay attention to the new rule as he’d broken pretty much every other one just to spite him.

"You're kidding right?” He choked on his milk; a single drop spilling out of the corner of his mouth. “I'm an adult, I can handle myself I don't need you or your stupid curfews." He pushed back the chair and stood up. “You’re not even my real dad!”

“Keith, calm down. Let’s talk through this, alright?” Shiro pleaded but Keith stomped up the stairs and slammed the door behind him. Keith put on some clean clothes and his trusty jacket before sneaking out his window and getting into his car. The sound of the old engine coming to life was enough to alert Shiro to his escape. "Keith! If you don't come back this instant you're grounded young man!" Shiro shouted uselessly from the porch as he drove off without even sparing a glance in his direction. With all the commotion they had both forgotten about the cake and let it burn to a crisp. Its ashes thrown away at the bottom of a trash can.

 

Keith drove into the city in silence focusing only on the sound of his speeding tires making their way down the highway. His first stop was at the closest gas station he could find. He parked his old hand me down car in an empty space and went inside. There was a loud chime that announced his entrance to the cashier and the only other person in the store. The other man was busy serving himself coffee but Keith could tell he was a cop from his uniform. Keith stood in front of the cashier, placed his money down on the counter and gave a nod towards the wall behind her. “I’m going to need to see some ID.” By the time Keith fished it out of his wallet, the cop was forming a line behind him.

“Hey you’re Shiro’s kid aren’t you?” the man gestured to him with his cup. Keith had made a name for himself among the local police force already, the fact that adoptive father was a member didn’t help. The cashier handed Keith back his license and turned her back on both of them before placing down a pack of cigarettes and counting the change. The man sighed. “At least you’re buying them legally this time. Does Shiro know you smoke?”

“Well, something tells me he will soon enough.” Keith turned to the man and looked him over with a sneer before grabbing his things and leaving.

 

As soon as he got into the car he opened up the pack and lit one up. The officer kept looking at him through the window until he finished paying for his coffee. With his cup, he gestured to a no smoking sign. Keith simply responded by backing his car out of the lot and driving away. The officer shook his head. Just like Keith had predicted, Shiro was soon notified of the occurrence adding onto the pile of thigs they would need to discuss later that night. At the very least, Shiro was relieved to know that Keith hadn’t gotten himself into any serious trouble yet. “You really need to do something about that boy’s attitude.”

“Yea. I know, I’m working on it. Just let me know if he causes any more problems.” Back at his house, Shiro debated whether he should spend his day off chasing after Keith through the city. Things have been hard lately after the news of his biological father but he was getting better. Despite his moodiness, Shiro trusted Keith to do the right thing and continued to tend to the farm animals that scattered around the place.

 

About an hour and a few cigarettes later Keith got a message on his phone. It was his boyfriend Lance. He had been mindlessly driving throughout the town and had no doubt unintentionally passed by his house.

Lance: _Glad to see you’re finally awake Mullet._

Lance: _Happy birthday by the way._

Lance: _I’m free tonight if you wanna ~celebrate~ pick me up at 8 and we’ll go out to the peak._

 

8 o’clock came by quickly and Keith found himself speeding towards Lance’s house, careful to avoid any roads he knew would end in a speeding ticket. He parked right outside of Lance’s house and honked. “I’ll be out in a minute!” Lance shouted from his bedroom window. Keith took the time to check his phone that had fallen under the seat somewhere along the way. They were mostly messages from Shiro.

Shiro: _where are you? Call me back Keith_

Shiro: _Call me back. Now._

 

He put his phone in the glove compartment and forgot all about the messages. Lance opened the passenger door and slid into the seat wearing the most hideous hat Keith had ever seen. “Howdy birthday boy.” He put on his best (worst) southern accent. “A cowboy hat for the Texan boy.” He chuckled and passed the hat over. Keith couldn’t restrain his laughter any longer.

“God, I hate you.” He smiled as he placed the hat on the backseat.

“I love you too.” Lance held Keith’s face in his hands and gave him a kiss. Keith drove on through the city for a decent chunk of the night. The sun set and the stars started appearing throughout the sky. At around 10 Lance spoke up. “Hey pull into here. I gotta buy something.” Keith did as he was told and parked in a 24/7 pharmacy. “I’ll be right back.” He hopped out the car and went inside the building. Keith didn’t have to wait long as he returned soon with a plastic bag in his hand. “Had to buy some essentials.”

“Like?”

“Don’t worry about it Mullet. Just drive to the peak.” He winked before strapping his seatbelt on again.

 

The peak, or rather The Peak as that was its official name, was a nice little hill overlooking a part of the city. Green trees surrounded the area and pretty flowers grew all around creating a beautiful landscape. Of course, its most common use was for teenagers looking for a place to hook up. They were not the only car there but managed to find an area with enough privacy for themselves. They sat in silence for a minute, not knowing how to begin. Lance took his seatbelt off and climbed into the backseat. Keith followed after him. “These are for you.” Lance took out a box from the plastic bag and handed them over to Keith. Keith looked at the box of condoms and blushed. “We don’t have all night. I promised I’d be back home at 11.” Lance began undressing and placing his clothes in the now empty passenger seat.

“How romantic.” Keith chuckled and followed his example as he took off his own jacket and shirt.

 

***

 

When they finished their celebration Lance laid his head on Keith’s chest. They got as comfortable as they could within the cramped confines of the car. Keith lazily rubbed Lance’s back and fought with himself to keep his eyes open. “Tired already?” Lance teased.

“Not all of us can keep up with you, you know.” Keith yawned and sat up as Lance shifted off of him to grab his shirt.

"Wait, holy fuck, is that right?" Lance gasped in disbelief as he hurried to put his shirt back on.

"Yea. Why?" Keith stretched and searched around for his pants.

"Jesus, Keith its 1 AM! My parents are gonna fucking kill me." He dropped his head into his hands. "Take me home. Right. Now." Lance was hysteric as he hurried to get dressed and presentable. The Lance that was more than happy to spend the night in the backseat of a car on top of Keith was nowhere to be found. Keith got dressed at a much slower pace making Lance feel even more anxious as the seconds added up.

 

Lance managed to complain the entire ride home. Keith knew that he would never hear the end of this. The last time they forgot about the curfew, they only missed it by 10 minutes and Lance ended up losing his car privileges and extra chores for two weeks. A small part in Keith hoped they’d take away his phone this time so he would have time to calm down. They made it to the house only to find Lance’s mother already waiting for them on the porch, arms crossed. Keith didn’t dare step out of the car. He watched as his boyfriend shambled over to her. As he drove away her loud voice yelling in Spanish along with his name thrown in in-between unintelligible words.

 

The ride to his own home was more than a bit longer. The more rural areas were plagued with long, empty roads with nothing but the occasional cow or horse to interrupt the flow of green fields on either side. Without a solid internet connection things got pretty boring fairly quickly but it was the life he'd grown used to and he wouldn't change it for anything. He sighed deeply and lit up another cigarette before hiding the remaining ones under the seat. The wind carried away the smoke and ruffled his hair in every direction giving him something to focus on that wasn’t the road or the argument he would no doubt have with Shiro. It didn’t work and his mind still drifted to the unread messages on his phone. Each one dripping with worry. He knew Shiro cared about him but he never asked him to. He had been managing on his own way before Shiro came into his life.

 

He had taken all the long ways home in an attempt to possibly avoid Shiro all together. The clock in his car displayed 3 AM. He threw the cigarette butt down to the ground and made sure to grind it down with his foot before unlocking the front door and walking in without letting himself think. Shiro knew he had missed his curfew by more than a few hours. Whatever noise he made wasn’t going to change that. He had expected Shiro to come out of his room or even wait a couple of hours and reprimand him then. He was not expecting Shiro to be wide awake and waiting for him in the living room "Where were you?" Shiro's voice had a stern edge to it that he had never heard. The voices from the TV and the smell of coffee filled the brief second it took Keith to recover from the surprise.

"Don't worry about it." Keith shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on to the back of a chair on his way through the house.

"Where do you think you're going? We're not done talking here." Trailed behind him

"God, what do you want? Just ground me already. Here take the keys, my phone, what else do you want?!” Keith shouted, slamming down the objects for extra emphasis.

 

Shiro stared at Keith for a moment, opening his mouth to say something only to clench his teeth and shut his mouth, all the anger slipped away from his face and left him showing how tired he truly was. He sighed and picked up his coffee stained mug. "I was worried about you. The least you could've done was answer me." He dropped the mug in the sink and walked past Keith into his room. Keith stood in the now empty living room. The words he had prepared bubbled up in his throat until they burst.

“Why the hell do you care? I don’t need you looking over me! I can take care of myself.” He hated Shiro. He really did. He couldn’t take it anymore. Keith stomped up the stairs into his room and dug around in his closet for his empty backpack. He knew this day was coming and he should’ve been much more prepared. His anger blinded him. There was no calming down. He grabbed handfuls of clothes and shoved them into the bag. He rounded up all the loose change he could find. He would have to tough it out for a few days before he could even think of asking Lance. After the stunt they pulled today, his parents would never say yes. It wasn’t a problem. He had slept out on the street before and he could do it again. He didn’t need shiro, he didn’t even need his biological dad. He could make it all on his own. As he muttered to himself, dark clouds gathered outside until a deafening clap of thunder silenced him.

 

He froze. Following the thunder was the tapping of raindrops against his window. Slow but steadily speeding up. It all hit him like a train. Suddenly he wasn't the too tall 18 year old ready to run away. He was so small. So small the world passed by without noticing him. Women would come and go leaving only the echoes of their heels hitting the pavement filling the streets with a rhythmic click clack as they walked away without looking back. Men would shuffle by faster turning the other way barring witness to the cars passing by instead of the crying child hidden away in his little corner of the world. He was so small people used to glance at him, see nothing, and turn away. He was so small, and his shirt had so many holes, and his shoes were so worn out that people looked away after a single look of pity. At the time it didn't matter. The only eyes he needed was hers. She looked him in the eyes and smiled. A silent promise that better times were ahead. A promise that one day people would notice him. Until then she would notice him. He was her whole world, and she was his.

 

At the time their house consisted of a couple of blankets held together by rope. It protected them from the sun and the wind but not much else. The rain would soak through and take a day to dry. She did her best to keep him safe. Safe from the rain and the world. Inevitably, a drop or two would seep through and make it into Keith’s bare skin but it was better than the alternative. His arm may have been a bit damp but she would wake up soaked as the blanket. Throughout all of it, she never complained. She would have given everything she owned although that wasn't much. In the end, she did.

 

It was winter and people were too busy carrying gifts in plastic bags that would be wrapped and stored away under a tree in a living room. Keith was still too small to be noticed so he spent his time under their blanket house looking for any available heat and making sure no one took it down. It rained unseasonably hard that night. The thunder boomed overhead threateningly, the wind shook them even in their hiding spot, and the rain spared neither of them. The noise from up above and his mother’s coughing was enough to keep him awake for most of the night. At most, he would've slept a couple of hours before the early morning sun shone brightly in his face. He stretched his tiny body and sat up with a sickening slap of his wet clothes on the ground that were quickly hardening due to the cold wind. She was still asleep but she wouldn't wake up. He screamed and shook her but she never woke up. She was just too tired. He called for help but he was too small and the people passed him by. All except one. The only other person that saw him in the world.

 

Keith had seen others like him before. The police weren't usually nice to them but this one knelt down next to him. The white tuft of hair swept itself to one side and covered one of his eyes. "Are you alright little buddy?" He held eye contact and Keith didn't dare look away. He couldn't even force the words out of his throat. Instead, he pointed over to their little tent and pulled the man along. He followed without hesitation. "You wait here alright? I’ll go check on her." he let go of Keith’s hand and walked the remaining distance. He lifted up the now frozen blanket and peeked it. "Ma'am?" he touched her before taking a step back and speaking into the radio strapped onto his shoulder. A look of worry momentarily stained his face before his smile returned. Keith never questioned its authenticity. "Don't worry bud. Everything’s going to be fine." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "My name's Shiro. What’s yours?"

"Keith."

 

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. He remembered bright lights, white hallways, and lots of eyes. Everyone turned to look at him. He hated it. But Shiro kept him safe. It was Shiro's hand over his that kept him in place and calmed him down when he received the news that he already knew deep down. He remembered Shiro's hands strapping him into the seat and then driving. Just driving for forever until they reached a house in the middle of nowhere. "This is where you'll live from now on." he announced.

"Alone?" Keith's voice shook with worry but Shiro just laughed.

"Of course not. You'll be living with me from now on." He smiled again and all felt right in the world if only for a fraction of a second. He’d never have to worry about being wet or cold or lonely because he would be there to protect him. He would give him everything that his mother couldn’t.

 

Another loud boom right outside his window shook him out of his thoughts. He stood in the darkness of his room for a second before his childhood instincts kicked in. Without thinking Keith found himself walking across the hallway, hand on the doorknob to Shiro's room. He would no doubt be asleep at this hour. This fact provided some comfort to him as he let himself in to the unlocked room. Only one side of the bed was taken up and Keith slid himself in to the empty space that used to belong to him for the first couple of months of his living here. The blanket was thick and soft, unlike the one he and his mother used to live under. He shuffled around on the mattress until he was comfortable enough to drift into sleep. Conscious or not, Shiro turned around and draped an arm around him reassuringly. For at least half a second, everything was right in their world.

 

In the morning, Keith woke up to an empty bed and the smell of freshly baked cake coming from the kitchen. He shuffled downstairs, unsure of what to expect. Shiro was already at his place at the sink. “Good morning Keith. Did you sleep well?” Keith nodded a mute yes and took his spot at the dinner table. There was already a plate of pancakes waiting for him and a cake with a _Happy late birthday Keith!_ written across it in red icing. Shiro ruffled his hair. Keith’s vision went fuzzy before he closed his eyes.

“I’m so sorry.” Keith sobbed so hard his shoulder’s shook. Shiro kissed his forehead.

“Don’t worry about it. I know you’re going through some things. I just want you to know that I love you. I’ll always be here for you Keith.” Keith threw his arms around Shiro and spent the next couple of minutes crying and enjoying the comfort from the warmth he radiated. “C’mon bud,” Shiro rubbed Keith’s back, “let’s eat some cake while it’s still fresh.”


End file.
